Counter-refrigerator.



. 35/732,945. V PATENTED JULY 7. 1903. A. JENSEN & w. REISSNER. COUNTER REFRIGERATOR.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 4, 1901. 10 MODEL.

THE 'uonnls PETZRS o0 PHOTO-LITNO.. wAskmurom u. c

' UNITED STATES Patented July 7, 190a.

PATENT OFFicE.

COUNTER-REFRIGERATOR.

- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Iatent N 0. 732,945, dated July 7, 1303.

Application filed November 4,199):

To aZZwhOmI it may concern..-

.Be it known that we, ANDREW JENSEN and WILLIAM REISSNER, citizensof the United States of America, and residents of Des Moines', in the county of Polk and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful (loum ter-Refrigerator, of which the following is a specification.

Thisinvention relates to the type of devices illustrated by Letters Patent of the United StatesNo. 673,921, granted May 14,1901, to James P. Nelsen,Andrew Jensen,and WVilliam Reissner, and is an improvement on the structure defined in said patent.

The object of this invention is. to provide improved means for lowering the tempera ture of the atmosphere within and cooling the contents of a show-case or counter, to the end thatjfresh meats, fruits, and vegetables may be exhibited to the inspection of pro spective purchasers and yet retained under refrigeration.

Our invention consists of the construction, arrangement, and combination of elements hereinafter set forth, pointed out in our claims, and illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which i Figure 1 is a perspective of our improved counter-refrigerator, one corner of the casing being broken away to reveal the interior construction. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of our improved device. Fig. is a cross-section on the indicated line 3 3 of Fig. 3. Fig. 4 is a ,plan of one of the ice-supporting air-chambers employed in our device.

In the construction of the device asshown the numeral designates a counter formed with double or triple side walls, top, ends, and bottom designed to render the contents thereof less susceptible to the influence of exterior temperature, A partition 1l.is mount-- ed vertically and transversely in one end portion of the counter10"and'forms a small chamber at one end of the counter and a large chamber. extending from the partition to the opposite end of the counter. A door 12 in one end of the counter 10 provides access to the interior'of the small chamber and a door 13 in the opposite end of said'counter provides access to the interior of the large chamber. A show-case 14, composed of a framework fitted with sheets of glass and doors 15 Serial No. 81,047. (No model.)

16, is mounted on the counter 1.0 and secured thereto. The glass portions of theshow-case 14 are three-plythat is to say, three sheets of glass 17 18 19 are mounted parallel with each other and spaced apart to form two airchambers and protect the contents of the show-case against the influence of exterior temperature and, further, to avoid condensation or moisture on either glass plate. pan 20, preferably made ofsheet metal, is mounted on the floor ofthe large chamber of the counter and is provided with a drainagepipe 21, leading through the floor or wall of the counter and arranged to carry away water from the ice meltingin said chamber. An airchamber 22 is mounted in the pan and comprises, Fig. 4, end pieces 23 24, side pieces 25 26, and top and bot-tom sheets 27 2S, respectively, of sheet metal. The sheets 27 28, forming the top and bottom of the air-chamber 22, are tacked or otherwisefirmly secured to the top and bottom edges, respectively, of the end and side pieces, and the margins of the top sheet 27 are turned upward to form a pan. Between the side pieces 25 20 of the air-chamber are partitions formed of slats orstrips 29 3O 31 32 33, to which the top and bottom sheets 27 28 also are secured The partitions or strips in the air-chamber are of less length than the side strips 25 26. The partitions 29 31 33 abut at one end the inner surface of the end piece 24 of the air-chamber and the partitions 3O 32 abut at one end the inner surface of the end piece 23 of the air-chamber, thus providing, the partitions being spaced apart, a sinuous passage 34 for air within the chamber, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 4. waust-fan fie js mounted in the smaller chainloei of the counter and driven by an electric motor 36 or other power, and a discharge-pipe 37 leads from said fan to and communicates with'the initial end of the sinuous passage 3% of the air-chamber. The connection between the terminal of the discharge-pipe 37 and the initial end of the air passage is detachable, since the pipe is loosely introduced in the air-passage after passing through the partition 11.. Cleats 33 39. are mounted longitudinally of the side walls of the counter 10 within the larger chamber thereof, and an air-chamber 40, in construction alike with the air-chamber 22, is mounted on said cleats. 'An air-pipe 41 is mounted vertically in the smaller chamber of the counter and has its end portions curved and extending through the partition 11. The lower end portion of the air-pipe 41 is introduced loosely into and communicates with the terminal of the air-passage 34 of the chamber 22, and the upper end of said pipe is in-' troduced loosely to and communicates with the initial end of a like sinuous air-passage in the chamber 40. An air-pipe 42 is mounted vertically in the smaller chamber of the counter, with one end portion curved and extended through the partition 11. The lower end portion of the air-pipe 42 is introduced loosely into and communicates with the terminal of the sinuous air-passage of the chamber and the upper end portion of said pipe extends through the floor of the show-case and communicates with the interior thereof. A11 air-pipe 43 is mounted vertically in that end portion of the show-case opposite the airpipe 42 and leads from a point near the lower surface of the top of the show-case through the floor thereof and communicates with the interior of the larger chamber of the counter 10. The ingress-pipe 44 of the air-pump 35 leads from that end portion of the larger chamber of the counter opposite to the airpipe 43, extends through the partition 11, is curved,and enters the shell of the fan axially.

On reference to Fig. 4 it will be observed that corner-blocks 45 are mounted in the sinuous passage 34 of the air-chamber 22,and the inner edgesof said corner-blocks are curved and so fitted together as to round. the bents or returns of said air-passage, thus providing the minimum of friction to the travel of air therethrough. Cakes 46 of ice are mounted on the upper sheet 27 a of the air-chamber 40, and the waterproduced by the melting of such cakes of ice drains from the pan formed by said upper sheet and into the pan 20, from whence'it flows through the pipe 21. Cakes 47 of ice are mounted on the upper sheet 27 of the air-chamber 22, and the water formed by the melting of such cakes drains from the pan formed by said upper sheet into the pan 20, from whence it flows through the pipe 21. The doorway of the door 13 opens to the bottom of the counter-ch amber and either of the air-chambers, and the pan 20 may be Withdrawn longitudinally through said doorway at any time. In the withdrawal of the airchambers through the doorway said chambers easily detach from the end portions of the airpipes 37, 41, and 42.

In practical use the exhaust-fan draws the air from the ice-chamber through the in gresspipe 44, and air enters said ice chamber through the pipe 43 from the show-case 14 and circulates around and among the cakes 46 47 of ipe. The discharge-pipe 37 leads the air from "the exhaust-fan into and the same is forced through the sinuous passage 34 of the air-chamber 22. The pipe 41 leads the air from the chamber 22 to the chamber 40, and said air is forced through the sinuous passage of said chamber, and the air-pipe 42 leads said air from the chamber 40 into the show-case. The top and bottom of the chamber 22 and the chamber 40 being made of sheet metal and the top sheets carrying the cakes of ice, it follows that in the travel of the air through the sinuous passages of the air-chambers it becomes thoroughly cooled by the proximity of the ice and the cooling influence thereof radiated through said top sheets. Hence when the air enters the show-case at the terminal of the pipe 42 the temperature thereof is reduced a considerable extent. When the temperature of the contents of the show-case have been reduced to the desired extent, there is little or no waste of ice arising from the circulation of air, since there is comparatively little communication between the interior and exterior of the show-case or counter. Further increase of temperature will arise from time to time in the opening of the doors 15 16, but will be readily neutralized by the cooling influence of the air constantly circulated through the sinuous passages of the air-chambers into and from the show-case. The partition 11 serves the useful function of'dividing the counter into two chambers and at the same time removing or partitioning the ice from the heating influence of the motor and fan bearings.

lVe claim as our invention- 1. In a display-refrigerator, the combina tion of a counter formed with a larger and a smaller chamber, an air-chamber mounted in the bottom of the larger chamber and arranged to support ice, an air chamber mounted across the central portion of the larger chamber and arranged to support ice, a door in one end of the larger chamber whereby access is had thereto,a show-case mounted on the counter, an open-ended pipe mounted vertically through the top of the counter and extended nearly to the top of the show-case, an exhaust-fan mounted in the smaller cham ber of the counter, an ingress-pipe leading from the larger chamber of the counter to said exhaust-fan, a discharge-pipe leading from the exhaust-fan to the lower air-cham ber, a pipe leading .from the lower air-chamber to the upper air-chamber, a pipe leading from the upper air-chamber to the show-case and a door opening to the smaller chamber of the counter.

2. In a display-refrigerator, the combina tion of the counter formed with an ice-cham ber and a power-chamber, a door forming one end of the ice-chamber and providing access thereto, a pan mounted on the bottom of the ice-chamber and removable longitudinally therefrom, an air-chamber mounted in said one air-chamber with the show-case, a driven exhaust-fan in the power-chamber and air the fan and one end of the sinuous passage of the lower air-cham ber, air communication between the other end of said sinuous passage and one end 01' the sinuous passage of the upper air-chamber, air communication between the other end of the sinuous passage of the upper air-chamber and the show-case and means of access to the show-case and powerchamber.

In testimony whereof We hereunto have set our hands, at Des Moines, Iowa, this 6th day of July, 1901, in the presence of two witnesses.

ANDREW JENSEN. WVILLIAM REISSNER. In presence of- S. 0. SWEET, W. E. ELLIs. 

